Soft-walled shelters, such as tents, comprise a structural frame covered by a fabric skin. The structural frame provides the strength and stiffness needed for a specified set of environmental conditions from which design loads are determined. Such structural frames utilize various types and configurations of structural elements in order to achieve the required strength and resistance to deflection under load, or stiffness. One such structural configuration utilizes parallel sub-frames, generally in the form of arches, to provide lateral strength and stiffness, with additional structure for longitudinal strength. Two known ways for providing longitudinal strength are: (i) external guying, in which additional ground anchors that are located outside the structural footprint are used to pull the end sub-frames outward with guy ropes and thus tension the shelter skin; or (ii) internal bracing, in which multiple purlins and/or diagonal braces provide the required longitudinal strength. The use of additional purlins or braces is disadvantageous.
Another structural element of known soft-wall shelters is multiple ground anchors. Ground anchors are necessary for lightweight shelters in order to resist loads imposed by a specified wind velocity. Ground anchors are commonly relied upon to provide horizontal reaction forces to frame elements in contact with the ground. For example, an arch with a distributed vertical load will tend to widen, or spread, at its ground contact unless restrained. Ground anchors are one method for providing such restraint by horizontal reaction forces. However, one disadvantage of ground anchors is that they are located outside the habitable footprint of softwall shelters and are attached to points on the shelter skin or frame with ropes or guys to enhance the strength and stiffness of the shelter.